Process for decolorizing and desulphurizing hydrocarbon vapors



My 29, 1934- I J. M. wADswoRTH PROCESS FOR DECOLORIZING AND DESULPHURIZING HYDROCARBON lVAPORS Filed 061'.. 1. 1926 gyn/manto@ @2M @46am aucun@ Patented May 29, 1934 l UNETED STATES PATENT OFTHQE PROCESS FOR DECOLORIZING AND DE- SULPHURIZIN G HYDROCARBON VAPORS James M. Wadsworth, Sand Springs, Okla.

Application October 1, 1926, Serial No. 138,864 2 Claims. (Cl. 196-96) rIhis invention relates to an improved process The filtering material may be fed into the tower and apparatus for decolorizing hydrocarbon by means of a hopper 13 having a control valve 14. vapors or for separating the polymers from such Arranged within the tower and spaced from the vapors. It also relates to a novel process and bottom of the same, is a cone-shaped false bottom apparatus for desulphurizing such vapors. 15, preferably formed of suitable perforated ma- In this invention, gasoline or other hydrocarbon terial to permit drainage into the lower end of vapors undergoing treatment are passed through the tower. fullers earth or similar material, which condenses An outlet for the filtering material is shown at and separates the sulphur, polymers of other 16, and steam for cleaning the filtering material coloring matter contained therein, and thus promay be introduced into the tower by way of pipe duces a gasoline or other product free of polymers 17 having a branch 18. or sulphur, which is more stable to light and con- A conduit 19 is connected to the lower end of sequently of better marketing value. In my systhe tower 12 and is provided with a valve 20 by tem, the vapors are passed first downwardly means of which polymers or other condensates through the fullers earth or the like and then upfrom the tower 8, may be fed into the feed line 1 70 wardly through a conduit, from which any conthrough pipe 21. If these polymers or condensate may gravitate downwardly into the densates are not to be re-cycled, they may be disfullers earth or the like to be iiltered thereby. charged by means of the Valved pipe 22.

The invention is illustrated in the accompany- A conduit 23 connects the pipe 21 to an intering drawing, in which mediate portion of the rectifier 5, sothat con- Fig. l is a diagrammatic view of a gasoline densate from a point, higher up than the bottom cracking plant connected with my improved of the Vtower 5, may be re-cycled. filtering tower, the latter being shown in vertical The pipe 9 is connected to a separator 24 havsection. ing a condensate drain pipe 25 leading into the Fig. 2 is a horizontal .sectional View taken on lower part of the ltering tower 8. Vapors and 80 line 2-2 of Fig. 1. gases are discharged from the separator through In the following detail description, I will first pipe 26, which is connected to a condenser 27 describe the process and apparatus as used for having an outlet pipe 28 for delivering the gasodecolorizing hydrocarbon vapors. line.

In the drawing, it may be seen that the gas oil The scrubbing action due to passing the vapors or charging stock is pumped by way of the line 1 through the bubble caps in the column 5, conthrough the heating unit 2, into the coke or redenses the heavier fractions from. the vapors, action chamber 3. The vapors and gasesrfrom which preferably pass off through pipes 23 and this chamber pass by way of pipe 4 into a rectify- 2l, as re-cycle stock from one of the lower trays ing column 5, which in practice, is preferably of of the tower; this re-cycle stock being mixed with the bubble cap type. The material which is not the raw charging stock and again cracked in the vaporized in chamber 3 may be discharged from units. The cracked gasoline vapors passing off said chamber in any suitable manner and may from the top of the bubble tower enter the top be used for fuel. Vaporization takes place in this of the clay of vapor phase treating tower 8. The tower and as the vapors pass upwardly some of vapors entering the top of the tower percolate them are condensed and this condensate flows downward through the fullers earth and the downwardly counter current to the vapors, the condensed polymers drain through the perforated reiiux or condensate passing out at the bottom cone bottom 15 into the space below where they through a pipe 6 to storage or back into the can be drawn ofl or be mixed with the re-cycle pipe l for re-cycling. The vapors and unconstock for re-cracking. The vapors then rise updensed gas pass out of the top of the tower 5 by ward through the pipe l0 and pass out near the way of the pipe 7 into the top of the filtering top through the separator 24, where any entower 8. This tower is of special construction and trained liquid S TemOVed. is provided internally with a cross pipe 9 from It Will be noted from the drawing that the which a vertical pipe 10 depends. The lower end tower 8 is air cooled and that the vapors after 105 of the vertical pipe is enlarged and provided with filtering thI'Ollgh the fullers earth are Caused U0 a grating or screen l1 to prevent the fullers earth rise through the pipe 10 into the collecting header or other filtering material l2 within the column 9 at the top, and the height of this pipe 10 is such from entering said pipe, while permitting free that it tends to act as a dephlegmator to condense entrance of vapors and gases into the pipe 10. or knock back any polymers which have passed through the screen 11, with the result that the vapors passing oil to the condenser are almost entirely free from all objectionable coloring matter.

In accordance with my invention, it is ordinarily unnecessary to cause the vapors, after passing through the ltering material, to contact with packing material, baille plates, bubble trays or the like, so that the passage 10 may be unrestricted.

It will be observed that the cracking plant and rectifier forming part of the present invention, are of standard construction and that I have placed my improved nltering tower at the outlet end of the rectier.

Instead of cracking the oil before introducing it into the rectifying column, I may distill it in the ordinary way without cracking the same.

As before stated, my improved apparatus and process are also applicable to the desulphurizing of hydrocarbon vapors. For instance, I have found, in working on raw gasolines produced from crude oil containing a high percentage of sulphur, that this gasoline will also contain a and reduced the sulphur content from .093% to .043%. The reactions that occur in this process are diflicult to explain, but the sulphur is present in the crude either as organic sulphur com.-

pound or as hydrogen sulphide, and my explanation of the reactions that occur is that the fullers earth acts -as a catalyst on the sulphur compounds, converting them into other compounds such as hydrogen sulphide and mercaptans, which are vlater readily combined with caustic solutions or other treating agents such as sodium .plumb'ite vor sodium or calcium hypochlorites to Yform sul- .phides or oxidized sulphur compounds insoluble in gasoline and readily drawn oiT, after settling .to'leave a stable non-corrosive gasoline.

I have also lfound that the fullers earth, as a catalyst, polymerizes the unsaturated hydrocarbons contained in the gasoline into such form that these polymers readily combined with the ,sulphur compounds, and a part of th-e sulphur vis removed with the polymers.

The fullers earth actually adsorbs a portion of the sulphur compound.

When the process and apparatus are used for decolorizing or desulphurizing or both, I Yprefer to use a reflux agent at the Vtop of the rectifying column. I may, for instance, pump an oil distillate or similar composition into the top tray of the tower through a pipe 29, this distillate being derived from an outside source, and being usually made up of off-colored distillates requiring re-running. The feeding of this reiiux liquid may be accomplished by a small pump, thermostatically controlled by the temperature at the head of the tower.

It will be understood from the foregoing, that mygmethod and apparatus may be employed for the removal of sulphur compounds and other organic sulphur compounds from vapors produced by cracking or fractionally distilling hydrocarbon oils. My theory is that the organic compounds, particularly those containing sulphur are the ones which affect the coloring and stability of the gasoline, and it is by the removal of these compounds, rather than by mechanical ltering that the desired color and stability are secured.

From the above description, it is believed that the construction of my apparatus and the steps ofthe process may be clearly understood, and I am aware that changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a process of the character described, distilling hydrocarbon oil and contacting the resulting vapors with a ltering material having the catalytic characteristics of fullers earth, and located at a `point remote from the place of distillation whereby polymerization of the vapors takes place, then passing the vapors upwardly through an unrestricted passage of suicient length to cause polymers mechanically entrained with the vapors, to be detrained and flow downwardly in the passageway counter-current to the rising vapors, causing said polymers to drain through the ltering material, and condensing the vapors 'discharged from the upper end of the passageway.

2. In a process for treating hydrocarbon vapors, passing said vapors downwardly through a mass of material having the catalytic characteristics of fullers earth, surrounding an elongated unrestricted passageway whereby polymer- .be detrained and vflow downwardly in the passageway counter-current to the rising vapors,

causing said lpolymers to drain through the catalytic material, discharging the polymers from 4the lower-end of said mass, and condensing the vapors discharged from the upper end of the passageway.

JAMES M. WADSWORTH. 

